Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Bohemian Rhapsody 

This film is the best of the year! This film Will satisfy Queen fans and introduce the younger generation to their music. This film squeezes so much information into its 2h and fifteen minute run time and so many critics are saying it should of dug deeper I had no problem with it I think by them ending the film on Live Aid was actually brilliant. It didn't show Freddie's death and I actually am fine with that because we know Freddie died and it was heartbreaking why would we want to see that visualized onscreen I'm glad they ended the film on a emotional high rather then an emotional low. Also the film covers everything from the arguments in the band, to how they created these songs and everything in between it was perfectly captured shining light on Freddie's life and also the other band members and I loved that that they make it about the entire band and not just about Freddie. As we find out about the entire group and their contribution to the band and into their private lives too. 

Firstly, this film doesn't shy away from Freddie's sexuality it addresses it head on. Their are scenes between him and Jim Hutton theirs moments of him kissing men and woman and how’s he’s struggling with his sexuality so they cover that in the film so to the critics saying they don’t I’ll tell you that they do they may not go into deep detail but I’m fine with that because we get the basis of it and this isn’t a documentary this is a film and they did the best to include everything into it as they could. And they cover as much as Freddie’s personal life that they felt was needed as Bryan May and Roger Taylor both worked on the film they knew Freddie as they knew him for a massive part of his life and Freddie always wanted to be known for his music and not for his sexuality and his personal life and that’s what about the film is they show his personal life but not to much as they want you to remember him for the music but at the same time also address his personal life and I love that. 

Secondly, This film has one of the best acted performances I’ve seen from a cast in a very long time everyone in this film is amazing and all give great performances. It’s Rami Malek who steals the show though with his outstanding performance on Mr Mercury. He gets into the headspace and skin of Freddie really taking it head on and damn he’s so captivating giving one of the best performances ever captured on film. 

Lastly, This film made me laugh it made me emotional and it left me with a big grin on my face. Bohemian Rhapsody achieves everything on every level it delivers a brilliant bio pic of the band as well as showing the entire bands personal lives and contribution to the band it really is a celebration of Queen and is the best film of the year and one of the best films I’ve ever seen ever Bohemian Rhapsody is outstanding I recommend everyone go see it. 

This film chronicles the years of Queen from their formation all the way up to their iconic set at Live Aid in 1985 

Rated PG - 13 : for thematic elements,suggestive material, drug content and language

Rami Malek : Rami gave one of the greatest performances ever shown on film! Rami is known for his great work on the small screen with Mr Robot but hasn’t really done a massive amount of dramatic work on film and here he portrays one of the most iconic if not the most iconic and greatest frontman and singer of all time Freddie Mercury. Rami gives his absolute all and really dived in head deep to play this person and he didn’t imitate him he did the best he could to capture the essence of this man and really show the many sides of Mercury. He could be very quiet and shy and then he could be so very sarcastic and witty and what I love about his approach to Freddie was he shows many sides of him which showcases amazing moments for him to be able to express emotionally but really shows a vulnerable side to him we haven’t seen before and he relay humanizes him because Mercury is looked at as this Rock God that he is and instead of playing it as that approach he really humanizes Freddie and shows that he’s just a regular person that became a legend and shows all the many sides to him and the struggles he went through as well. Rami just disappears into the role of Freddie Mercury his transformation is phenomenal you don’t see Rami when you see him onscreen it’s Freddie Mercury he dose every small thing that Freddie would do from the way he would look at someone to the way he would lean he had everything done to the detail of Freddie he moved, walked and talks just like Freddie it’s just breathtaking to witness onscreen. He shows the performer that he was but also their are moments of very raw vulnerability he would showcase of Freddie and also bring this heartbreaking Loneliness to Freddie that Mercury felt and Rami really got into the headspace of him and gave this his all. Theirs moments where he doesn’t even talk and he’s just on the brink of tears and breaks down and you feel for him then the next he could be totally witty and make you just laugh he explores so many sides of him emotionally that’s so captivating and he goes places emotionally we haven’t seen Rami go. He really dose Freddie justice by showing him for who he was and is a performer and an amazing human. He shows the human side of Freddie and his struggles and loneliness he felt in his life but also he shows the big performer aspect of him to he balances them both amazingly. His performance gave me chills their were moments where it was like Freddie was onscreen and it wasn’t even an actor that’s how good Rami is in this film he gives a transformational masterful performance that is one of the greatest performances ever captured on film. Overall Rami gives the performance of his career Malek should get his Oscar speech ready he is amazing in this film. 

Gwilym Lee : Lee showcases tremendous talent here! Gwilym Lee has not really posed up in the last few years he’s done some roles here and their but isn’t that relatively well known and after this film he is going to be getting so many offers now. He portrays Brian May the lead guitarist of Queen in the film and wow dose he look so much like the real guitarist. In the film the moment you see him you are stunned by how close he sounds to Brian and looks like him it is quite astonishing to see onscreen. Now since I have established the uncanny resemblance he had to the real Musician his performance is brilliant. He in many ways is the anchor of the Band who is the voice of reason and showcases fantastic emotional range throughout this film. Their are times when he can just be funny with a joke and then the next can be so serious and the look in his eyes and the tone in his voice he commits to every aspect of every scene he is in. He dose Mr May justice by truly showing the musician for who he is and really showing so many different sides of him as well. You can hear the passion in his voice when he talks and the pure emotion as well and Gwilym really steps up to the plate and delivers a truly mesmerizing performance. He just explores so many sides of Brian and I love that he really shows you what a passionate man he is of music and he could argue with the band mates but at the end of the day he cares and loves them and Lee really makes that very vocal in his portrayal of Bryan wrapped with fantastic emotional depth as well giving a truly fantastic performance you can’t take your eyes off of. 

Ben Hardy : Ben brings great emotional depth to his portrayal of Roger Taylor! Hardy is an actor who I have seen in the x-men films but that is about it I haven’t really seen him in much and so to see him take on a dramatic part was fantastic as I got to witness him really flex his dramatic muscles. I was very amazed with Ben’s performance in the film as he really shows a raw and emotional take on the drummer of Queen. Hardy shows Roger very much as the Hard Rocker of the group and really peels back the layers of Roger emotionally. In the film he surprised me a number of times with his performance showing amazing scene stealing moments. Their is one specific scene where he has an argument with Freddie after Freddie fired John Reid without the bands say so and Roger is very upset and confronts Freddie and it is a very heated scene. What impressed me was Ben’s ability to showcase great emotion but not be over the top with it like in that scene when he is upset it feels and looks genuine that he is upset and frustrated and his delivery is brilliant he really makes you believe him and when he speaks it hits you as it feels so real. Hardy brings a truly authentic and emotionally well balanced take on Roger showing his many sides as he has some very emotionally driven moments and Hardy is an absolute knockout as Roger. He dose not just show great emotional value but also he looks so much like Roger as well the way he talks, moves and walks he got all of it right and really gives Roger a fantastic portrayal on the big screen showcasing a truly astonishing performance. 

Joseph Mazzello : Joseph delivers a fantastic turn as the genus bass player John Deacon! This actor I am very familiar with as I have seen him in the massive hit back in the day Jurassic Park and I haven’t really seen him do dramatic roles before this film and it was great seeing him here as he really excels in the drama category. In the film he plays the very quiet but genius bass player John Deacon. And I will tell you this it is very scary how similar the two look if you look up the actor in makeup as Deaky he looks the exact same as the real John Deacon it was amazing. He spoke and had all of his mannerisms perfectly. Even the small details he picked up on and I love that but as far as the performance goes he is tremendous in the film. He Dose not talk that much but he always was known for being very quiet anyways but when he speaks Joseph really delivers the dialogue in such a sparkling way and really gives Deacon justice he always like Brian was the voice of reason and just wanted to be their to make music and the way Mazzello portrays John in the film is brilliant he has this charming quality to him that you can’t help but love that Joseph is brining to the role and he shows quite amazing emotional range too. He has some very funny moments that come across genuinely funny and then he could just be silent and shed a single tear streaming down his face and break your heart as he really is giving his all to this performance and it really shows. He brings the emotional depth to the screen he also has a charming quality too that is fantastic and he really gives Deacon a fantastic portrayal and overall is truly stunning in the film giving us great insight into a member of Queen many don’t know much about but its Joseph’s performance that helps you understand the man Deacon was in the band and as a person by providing a knockout performance. 

Lucy Boynton : Boynton gives one of the best supporting performances of the year! Lucy I became familiar with in last years Murder on the Orient Express remake and really enjoyed her in that film and so I was glad to hear she was playing the role of Mary Austin the close friend of Mr Mercury and wow she nails this role. In the film we see her very early into the film and is a key aspect throughout the film as she was a massive aspect of Freddie’s life so we get to see lots of Lucy in the film which i loved. She brings this warm quality to her portrayal of Mary that was so endearing and loving the way she plays her in the film is marvellous. We get to see so many layers of who this woman was and to many people they didn’t know about Mary so we get to find out a lot about her. Lucy was able to show a tremendous range of emotion in this film in the start of the film she is very happy and joyous and then midway she starts to feel very alone and you hear the sadness in her voice when she says to Freddie I love you the emotion is all their and its brilliant she really shows the hardships that weighed on Mary and how she missed Freddie for when he was on the road for a lot of the time and then the moment when Freddie revels his sexuality to her that scene is amazingly well done. Due to Rami and Lucy’s acting in the moment as when she finds out you see this frustration on her as she knows its not his fault and how much she truly cared for Freddie and Lucy makes that loud and clear in her performance. When she’s with Freddie  Lucy Is very emotionally open and gentle and very soft spoken and then can be full of heartbreak and worry when seeing Freddie in a very toxic environment emotionally and Lucy is able to just show layer upon layer of emotion captured onscreen that feels so genuine and real. She dose Mary justice by showing her high’s and lows and with Lucy committing to every aspect of the screen you can’t take your eyes off of her she truly is magnetic in the film giving a fantastic performance as Mary Austin. 

Allen Leech : Allen Leech is an actor I am unfamiliar with I am aware he was on the massively successful show Downton Abbey but I never have seen the show so I don’t know what he’s like as an actor onscreen and after seeing what he did here I am truly amazed. Allen plays the unlikeable  Paul Prenter who to many are unaware of who this guy was but to Queen fans like myself who know who he was he was Freddie’s assistant and was a massively bad influence on Freddie’s life and Allen really shows that in the film he dose not show little to no redeeming qualities of this man. The moment he comes onscreen he looks just like Paul it’s actually scary how much he looked like him and he portrays him in such a complex light. Throughout the film  we learn he became drawn to Freddie sexually but after Freddie pushed him away from trying to romanize him he just strictly stayed as his assistant and Allen plays Paul with this very soft spoken voice and uses his eyes to be incredibly emotive in the film. I loved that aspect of how he could convey emotion was by his eyes he shows at time very sinister looks in his eyes and then can be very vulnerable emotionally and begging Freddie not to fire him with this sadness in his eyes and crack in voice when he spoke. That is what I loved about his performance was that yes he was a very bad influence on Freddie theirs no doubt about it but he also humanizes him In a way by showing that this was a very lonely man who had a massive amount of power over someone and used in in wrong ways and his approach with that was very well done because for the most part yes he’s unlikeable to the end but Allen is able to showcase such great range of emotion that you do understand that this man was lonely and had no one and so he didn’t demonize him but was very honest and as authentic in the portrayal of this man as possible. He dose a fantastic job with portraying Paul as he like I said is so emotive with his eyes and his delivery of his dialogue as well and you can see all the emotion bottled up inside this man and at times cracks and breaks down in tears and Allen really shows that incredibly onscreen overall Allen was able to capture who Paul was but also show sides to him with great emotion. 

Mike Myers :  Mike freaking Myers is amazing in this film! Mike Myers for many people remember the iconic scene in Wayne’s World where he Is singing Bohemian Rhapsody in the car. And  here he plays the music executive who dose not like the song and its just a great fun moment acted greatly by Myers. He is unrecognizable in the film when I first heard he was cast his character name was not anywhere to who he would be playing and then when the first Trailer came out I didn’t spot him. Until someone pointed out he is the music executive in the end of the trailer and I had to go back and rewatch it and I was stunned because seeing it for a second time when I heard the voice I was like wow that is Mike Myers he’s transformed to the point that I couldn’t even recognize it was him. He only shares two scenes in the film but the two scenes are a decent amount of time so he dose have a good few minutes of screen time and wow is he great here. He plays like I said earlier the music executive who try to get Queen not to put Bohemian Rhapsody on the Album and he plays it with this Liverpool accent and its fantastic. He psychically transforms and when he speaks he has this sharp sound to him and he just makes his dialogue crackle in greatness. Even for the small amount of screen time Mike was still able to give a great performance even with the amount of Time he has in the film. He is full of such anger and frustration and really makes it feel so genuine and it is all due to Myers’s great work at the full front and took the character very seriously and he shows great emotion and sides to him that I have not seen Myers explore before and it was great to witness onscreen as he is so freaking good in the film and I hope he is not overlooked as his performance even though it is small still is brilliant Mike is fantastic in this film.

Bryan Singer & Dexter Fletcher : Bryan Singer gives strong direction but poor professionalism. As many are aware Singer was fired off the project last December due to a lack of taking the film seriously and then the last two weeks of filming was finished up by Dexter. but due to the directors guild of America since Bryan did the bulk of the directing he got the full credit which I don’t think is fare as Dexter did not get any direction credit for the work on it but was minimized to a producing credit. I am happy he at least got a producing credit but I feel as he deserves more credit as he also helped with this film too. Anyway Bryan Singer I will though say gave very strong direction for the bulk of directing that he did on this project. He did shuffle some of the timeline around but I was fine with it as they needed to in order for the pacing to work as a story. He captures the music and legacy of Queen perfectly showing the impact their music had and continues to have today as well as showing great insight into the lives of each band member. Then for showing Freddie’s personal life he shows the basis of it he dose not gloss over anything he shows it all and he also shows the mental state of Freddie as well which I thought was fascinating and well done. He dose not make this film like most bio pics where its grim and depressing not saying other music bio pics aren’t good it is just most to all have a very dark tone to them and this film dose have dark moments but is a celebration of Queen and I loved that approach to it. I liked that it ended at Live Aid and not with Freddie’s death by ending the film on an emotional high rather then a emotional low as well he interjects the music greatly into the film showing the makings of these tracks behind the scenes and shows the hardships the band had and their success as well. The way he shows Live Aid was outstanding it was frame by frame replicated and looked just like the real set back in 1985 that entire sequence is tremulously well done. Dexter also did a great job at bringing great direction for what he had to contribute to the film, Bryan also gets great performances from the entire cast just wanting to show and celebrate Queen and their impact on music and he shows that greatly with his Direction on the film as well with Dexters help both directors did a great job at helming this film.

The Lighting : The colours are amazingly well done! The vibrant look to this film is great the ability to have this grained yellow kind of tone through the 70’s and then it gradually get more clear as the years go by was smartly done showing the colours, and vibe of that era perfectly expressed with its fantastic lighting. It really made the screen pop and make the scenes very bright and I loved the look of this film it dose great work with its choice of colours really helping express the scenes greatly with its great lighting loved it.

The Cinematography : The camerawork is amazing here! The film is greatly shot but it is the small moments that I love such as theirs a interview the band have with journalist and you see the cameras flash and their voices talking at once and it then gets in Freddie’s head at that very moment and the camera visualizes how Freddie is feeling inside through that interview it is very well captured. Then you have the amazingly well captured concert scenes all of them were so well captured through the lens it just got the whole scope of it and really fills up the frame making you feel like your their. finally the sequence of Live Aid was breathtaking their is a shot of the camera from above the arena and then it slowly comes down into the audience and swoops up to the stage and that was so well captured the entire Live Aid sequence was well captured it was perfectly well shot through the lens overall amazing Cinematography.

The Soundtrack : The music is Queen’s amazing music and I loved how they used it in the film. The choice to have some of the Queen songs that came out after 1985 Which is when the film finishes was well done because they would place the songs in very emotional key aspects of the scene and really give it an emotional punch. if you love Queen like I do you will be singing along the entire time I highly recommend this soundtrack.